| 07.02.00 |

DON ON BRAVO'S ARTS & MINDS AND DIRECTOR'S SERIES
Bravo Canada will be airing a (very brief) segment on Don at the recent TEDCity conference on their Arts & Minds program, which airs today (Sunday July 2nd) at 7pm EST and Monday July 3rd at 7:30pm EST. (Look for a brief cameo by the Don McKellar Online site during the airing. Blink and you'll miss it!) Make sure to still tune into Bravo's full TEDCity re-cap on July 6th and 7th...

Also, Bravo Canada will be re-running an interview with Don for their The Directors series, on Friday July 14th at 10:00am EST. The hour-long program features Don discussing the recent American release of Last Night. (Many, MANY thanks to Kitana for the info! :-)

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 2000 T.O. FILM FEST
For those of you interested in helping out with this year's Toronto International Film Festival, here's some info, courtesy of Volunteer Coordinator Bob McCarthy:

"The Toronto International Film Festival is preparing for its 25th Anniversary and we want you to play an integral role. This year the Festival will be held from September 7th to 16th, 2000.

Volunteer recruitment sessions are open to the general public and happen during the month of July. To find out about volunteering for the Festival and to sign up for volunteer shifts, we require that you attend one of these recruitment sessions. There will be a number of key individuals available at these sessions to tell you about every volunteer opportunity at this years Festival. All of your questions about volunteering will be answered at the sessions listed below. If you have volunteered here before or if you are available now to do volunteer work for various departments in the Festival Group, please let us know. Please bring your schedule to the best of your knowledge for late August and September to the recruitment session. We would appreciate it if you brought a pen or pencil to your session.

NEW VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT SESSIONS:
Date: Sunday July 9th
Time: 11am to 2pm
Place: Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. (south side side of King St. 1 block west of University) *Please use artists entrance, (security entrance on the south side of the building)

Date: Wednesday July 12
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Place: Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. (south side side of King St. 1 block west of University) *Please use artists entrance, (security entrance on the south side of the building)

Date: Sat. July 22
Time: 11am - 2 pm
Place: Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. (south side side of King St. 1 block west of University)*Please use artists entrance, (security entrance on the south side of the building)

Please be on time, as there is room for 300 people maximum at each of these sessions.We do hope that you tell your friends and colleagues about these sessions. The Toronto International Film Festival Volunteer Hotline is (416) 967-7371extension 2208. My e-mail address is bmccarthy@torfilmfest.ca if you need information immediately or if you wish to spread the word about the volunteer recruitment sessions."

| 06.24.00 |

NEW SHORT FILM AT TORONTO FILM FEST UPDATE!
Here's the latest info about Don's upcoming short film, which will premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (running between September 7 and 16):

"The Festival, in partnership with Sun Life Financial Services of Canada Inc. and Telefilm Canada, award-winning producer Niv Fichman, and ten of Canada's pre-eminent filmmakers, presents world premieres of ten original short films inspired by the Festival. Each Prelude is approximately four minutes in length and receives its world premiere prior to a Gala presentation at Roy Thomson Hall, with multiple, public screenings the following day. TMN - The Movie Network airs the Preludes as a one hour special on September 16. The ten Canadian Prelude filmmakers - David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Mike Jones, Jean Pierre Lefebvre, Guy Maddin, Don McKellar, Jeremy Podeswa, Patricia Rozema, Michael Snow, and Anne Wheeler - were given free reign to create original works."

Also, here's some info regarding some upcoming free screenings prior to the festival in August (Don's work may or may not be screened, but you should attend regardless... :-)

"To thank the extraordinarily enthusiastic Toronto audiences who have supported the Festival for the past 25 years, the Festival and AGF Funds Inc. present 22 People's Choice Award-winning films, as chosen by Festival audiences from 1978-1999. For one week in August, Toronto audiences can relive Festival memories and enjoy their favourite films at indoor and outdoor events. AGF Festival Favourites screenings (August 25-31) are presented at Famous Players Paramount, Cineplex Odeon Canada Square Cinemas, and Alliance Atlantis Beach Cinemas, with outdoor screenings at Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage and are all free of charge."

For info on how to order tickets and/or obtain a program book, visit the official website, or call (416) 968-FILM.

TEDCITY RE-CAP ON BRAVO
Bravo Canada will be airing footage and interviews captured at the recent TEDCity conference, on July 6th at 6pm EST, and July 7th at 7pm EST.

"WAYDOWNTOWN" UPDATE
Here's a new synopsis about Don's upcoming movie Way Downtown, courtesy of Screen Trade Canada:

"Tom, Sandra, Randy and Curt have all staked a month's salary on a bet to see who can stay indoors the longest. It's lunch hour on day 24 of the wager, and all bets are off. Tom struggles through an illicit parkade tryst, flights of self-doubt and periodic superhero sightings - all the while trying to keep his over-the-edge cubicle mate Brad from jumping out a window. Sandra spends her lunch hour spying on her elderly kleptomaniac boss. Randy passes the time by assigning animal names to shopping-mall patrons. Curt, feeling especially amorous after being cut off from outside action, makes his move on a vulnerable colleague. A peeping-tom security guard, a jilted florist and a know-it-all receptionist add to the chaos. By the time the lunch hour is over, the bet is over and everyone's looking at life a little differently."

Don plays the role of "Brad", Tom's suicidal cubical mate. Also, the domain for "www.waydowntown.com" has just been registered, so keep your eyes peeled when the site is finally launched...

"YUMMY FUR" NEWS & COMIC EXCERPTS
After several years of stalling (due to financial problems) it appears that Don's screenplay for Yummy Fur (originally penned back in '95) will finally see production. We don't know when the film will be released or made (it may take several more years) but stay tuned to this site for any new info.

Here's an excerpt of an article on Bruce, taken from a recent issue of Playback:

"Yummy Fur, described by McDonald as a "freakishly bizarre film... unintentionally funny... Eraserheady," is a Shadow Shows/Good Machine coprod, with [Accent Entertainment's] Susan Cavan attached to produce and McDonald to direct.

Written by McKellar and John Frizzell (The Biggest Modern Woman of the World), and based on the comic-book series by Chester Brown, Yummy Fur tells the story of a dark world lit by the ubiquitous flicker of the tv screen. When Ed the Happy Clown is wrongly imprisoned after a severed hand is found in his bed, his vampire friend comes to his aid. Battling subterranean cannibal pygmies, her ex-boyfriend and a problem with Ed's penis, the two struggle toward redemption.

McDonald envisions the film, budgeted at $6 million, to be brought to life by Macaulay Culkin as the Happy Clown, Rip Torn as the u.s. president and Drew Barrymore as the First Lady."

I've also done some more searching around the web, and I've found several illustrations from Chester Brown's comic (excerpts courtesy of The Ontarion and Du9):

And lastly, here's a link to a great little article from several years ago, found on the Mr. Showbiz website, regarding Bruce and the movie...

VCR ALERT!
Showcase will be airing all-Canadian programming as part of Canada Day celebrations, on Saturday, July 1st. Atom Egoyan's 1991 film The Adjuster will be airing Saturday at 9:30 EST.

This drama follows an insurance adjuster who meddles in his clients' private lives, and his wife, a government film censor, who secretly tapes pornographic material at work. They become ripe prey for a couple with eccentric sexual fantasies. Stars Elias Koteas, Arsinee Khanjian, Maury Chaykin, Gabrielle Rose , Jennifer Dale, and Don McKellar. Canada, 1991. (18+)

| 06.16.00 |

TWITCH CITY U.S. AIR DATES!
Here are a bunch of dates fowarded to us from Cathi, courtesy of a Callum Keith Rennie mailing list...

Twitch City will be airing on Bravo US in August and September. The September schedule hasn't been released yet, but will be made available by August.

Episode #1:
Wed. Aug/2 at 10:30PM, 1:30AM
Thurs. Aug/3 at 3:30PM

Episode #2:
Wed. Aug/9 at 10:30PM, 1:30AM
Thurs. Aug/10 at 3:30PM
Fri. Aug/11 at 11PM, 2:30AM

Episode #3:
Wed. Aug/16 at 10:30PM, 1:30AM
Thurs. Aug/17 at 3:30PM

Episode #4:
Wed. Aug/23 at 10:30PM, 1:30AM
Thurs. Aug/24 at 3:30PM

Episode #5:
Wed. Aug/30 at 10:30PM, 1:30AM
Thurs. Aug/31 at 3:30PM

| 06.11.00 |

SUMMER ISSUE OF "TAKE ONE" MAGAZINE
Don is featured on the cover of the current Summer 2000 issue of Canadian Film & Television magazine Take One. Other filmmakers are also featured on the cover, including Bruce McDonald, John Greyson, Patricia Rozema, Ron Mann, and Atom Egoyan.

This special issue focuses extensively on the history and evolution of the Ontario film scene. The magazine also features several more photos of Don, and the rest of the aforementioned filmmakers. You can find copies of Take One at your better bookstores around Canada.

NEW SHORT AT T.O. FILM FEST
A new short film by Don will be playing at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. The festival usually takes place during September, so please stay tuned to this site for any futher info...

TWITCH CITY IN U.S.
We've been told that Twitch City will finally air in the states sometime in August of this year, on Bravo US. Exact times and dates will be posted here once we find them out...

TWITCH CITY VIDEO RELEASE UPDATE!
You heard it here first! Not only will the upcoming Twitch City compilation contain all your favourite episodes from the first and second season, but the compilation will also feature out-takes and un-aired scenes! AND, the compilation will be released in both VHS and DVD format! Hoohaw! (No word yet on the exact release date, but stay tuned to this site... :-)

| 06.03.00 |

"BLUE" AT SHORT FILM FEST UPDATE
I've been told that the screening times for Blue are Wednesday June 7th at 6pm, and Saturday June 10th at 4pm . Both screenings will be at the Eaton Centre Cineplex. (If any of the preceeding info changes, look for the updates at this page.) Blue is part of the "Famous Actors Series", and the 90-minute program will also feature Sarah Polley's directorial debut. (Many thanks to Matt and Kitana for their help! :-)

"THE HERD" SCREENING IN VANCOUVER
Peter Lynch's 1998 film The Herd will be screening at the Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe nr Davie, 688-film) on the following dates: